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US 5,065,638 AGranted
Variable ratio transmission
OwnerIvor Barensinventor
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A variable ratio transmission comprises a pinion with spring loaded pins mounted on a face gear which is a disc with one of the plate-like surfaces containing a plurality of grooves separated by crowns extending from the periphery of the disc. At intermittent radii on the face gear, the pins of the pinion mesh with every other groove of the face gear and missed grooves at one intermittent radius are the meshing grooves of an adjacent radius so that the number of meshing radii are increased compared with dimensioning the face gear so that the pins of the pinion mesh with every groove of the face gear at intermittent radii. The tops of the crowns, at least between meshing radii, are tapered to provide bearing surfaces which reduce wear and friction.
Claims10
A variable ratio transmission comprising:
- (a) a pinion having a plurality of pins equally spaced about its periphery, each of said plurality of pins having urging means to urge each said pin to an extended position and being depressible against said urging means to a depressed position;
- (b) a face gear comprising a plate rotatable about a centre of rotation and having a surface comprising a plurality of fingerlike crowns extending inwardly from the periphery of said plate forming grooves between adjacent crowns such that at intermittent radii from said centre of rotation, for any one of said grooves, there is another one of said grooves such that the arc distance between said one and said other of said grooves is approximately equal to the arc distance between adjacent pins of said pinion, said grooves having a width greater than the width of the portion of said pins entering said grooves, and such that at least some of said one and said other of said grooves are not adjacent grooves;
- (c) means mounting said pinion for rotation on said face gear and permitting said pinion to be translated radially along said face gear;
- whereby said plurality of pins of said pinion, when in said extended position, may mesh with said grooves of said face gear so that when said pinion is positioned at one of said intermittent radii and said face gear and pinion rotate, said plurality of pins mesh with ones of said grooves and such that, when said pinion is positioned at other than one of said intermittent radii, any of said plurality of pins which do not mesh with said grooves may be depressed by a crown toward said depressed position to permit continued rotation of said pinion and face gear without jamming.
1 more element
A variable ratio transmission comprising:
- (a) a pinion having a plurality of pins equally spaced about its periphery, each of said plurality of pins having urging means to urge each said pin to an extended position and being depressible against said urging means to a depressed position;
- (b) a face gear comprising a plate rotatable about a centre of rotation and having a surface comprising a plurality of fingerlike crowns extending inwardly from the periphery of said plate forming grooves between adjacent crowns;
- (c) means mounting said pinion for rotation on said face gear and permitting said pinion to be translated radially along said face gear;
- said face gear dimensioned such that at intermittent radii from said centre of rotation, the width of said grooves and the arc distance between every other of said grooves is such that adjacent pins of said pinion mesh in every other groove of said face gear,
- whereby said plurality of pins of said pinion, when in said extended position, may mesh with said grooves of said face gear so that when said pinion is positioned at one of said intermittent radii and said face gear and pinion rotate, said plurality of pins mesh with every other of said grooves and such that, when said pinion is positioned at other than one of said intermittent radii, any of said plurality of pins which do not mesh with said grooves may be depressed by a crown toward said depressed position to permit continued rotation of said pinion and face gear without jamming.
2 more elements
A variable ratio transmission comprising:
- (a) a pinion having a plurality of pins equally spaced about its periphery, each of said plurality of pins having urging means to urge each said pin to an extended position and being depressible against said urging means to a depressed position;
- (b) a face gear comprising a plate rotatable about a centre of rotation and having a surface comprising a plurality of fingerlike crowns extending inwardly from the periphery of said plate, said crowns forming sectors of parallel crowns, each sector including a pair of adjacent crowns extending generally radially inwardly and joined together proximate their inner ends to form an increased width crown segment, said crowns and crown segments forming grooves between adjacent crowns and crown segments, respectively;
- (c) means mounting said pinion for rotation on said face gear and permitting said pinion to be translated radially along said face gear;
- said face gear dimensioned such that at a radius intersecting said increased width crown segments, the width of said grooves and the arc distance between adjacent ones of said grooves is such that adjacent pins of said pinion mesh in every groove of said face gear at said radius intersecting said increased width crown segments and such that at intermittent radii from said centre of rotation beyond said crown segments the width of said grooves and the arc distance between every other of said grooves is such that adjacent pins of said pinion mesh in every other groove of said face gear at said intermittent radii;
- whereby said plurality of pins of said pinion, when in said extended position, may mesh with said grooves of said face gear so that when said pinion is positioned at one of said intermittent radii or said radii intersecting said crown segments and said face gear and pinion rotate, said plurality of pins mesh with said grooves and thereby transmit torque between said face gear and pinion, and such that, when said pinion is positioned at other than one of said intermittent radii, any of said plurality of pins which do not mesh with said grooves may be depressed by a crown toward said depressed position to permit continued rotation of said pinion and face gear without jamming.
2 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.